The Ultimate Loss
by zephyran
Summary: On hold indefinitely... On the way to Esthar for a much needed honeymoon, the unthinkable happens to Squall and Rinoa Leonhart. Can Quistis lead SeeD against a new Sorceress threat? Language, violence, and adult situations. Please RR!
1. Chapter 1: Honeymoon

Disclaimer:  SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy and all related stuff.  I wrote this because I'm a fan.  I'm making no money off of it, and the only things that belong to me are the plot and the characters.

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CHAPTER 1: HONEYMOON

"Squall, are you listening to me?"

Squall sighed.  He was dreading this, even more than facing a whole herd of Omega Weapons.  They'd just gotten back from their emergency mission, and she was already on his case.  "Yes, Rin, I hear you."  

"I didn't ask that, Squall," said Rinoa, getting even more annoyed.  "I said _are you listening_?"

_Didn't I just answer that?_  "Yes, Rin, I'm listening.  And I'm sorry, I really am.  But I didn't ask that Omega Weapon to show up and start tearing up Winhill so our honeymoon could be ruined.  And since we were the only ones that had ever fought one and lived to tell about it, I guess they mistakenly figured that we should be the ones to help."  His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Rinoa's cheeks turned red   "Oh, fine, sorry, Mister _Commander_.  Jeez, we've only been married a week and we're already fighting about something."  She stood up from her chair and got in Squall's face.  "Why, Squall?  We haven't even consummated our marriage!  What do you think that says to me?  You wouldn't even go with me to one of the Ragnarok's cargo holds for _ten minutes_!  I know you're a prude sometimes, but we owe each other at least _ten minutes_ of pleasure!  For all the times we've saved the world, I think we've earned it!"

Squall looked into her eyes for a second, witnessing the utter fury behind them.  He was sympathetic, but the lot in life for a SeeD was to put personal pleasure secondary to getting the job done.  It was inconvenient, and downright unbearable at times, but it was the life he chose.  And the life she chose, both when she became a SeeD herself, and then when she married him.  

Squall looked away, somewhat upset with his wife for her outburst, but mostly upset with himself for hurting her.  Rinoa turned on her heel and sat back down in her chair, turned away from him.

"Rin, look, I'm sorry about that.  It's not that I didn't want to.  Hyne, I wanted nothing more.  But I wanted our first time to be special, in a place that meant something to us, a place where we could enjoy it and have time afterwards to do it again.  And again.  And then maybe go for a walk on a beach.  And do it again."

Rinoa's frown turned into a reluctant smile, and she chuckled, despite her anger.  She couldn't even tell if he was serious, bragging, or trying to make her laugh.  _How does he do that?  I can't stay mad at him for more than a few minutes._

"That's a giggle I hear," said Squall, walking up to her.  He kneeled in front of her, although she turned her head to the right to avoid looking at him.

"Rin, look at me," said Squall, placing a hand on her right cheek, lightly turning her head to face him.  She looked into his eyes, and saw a sincere, loving heart behind them.

"I'm going up to talk to Headmaster Cid right now.  I'm going to tell him that you and I are going to be gone for two weeks, starting tomorrow."

"No," said Rinoa.

"What?  Why…"

"Today, Squall.  I want to leave today."  Rinoa placed her hand on his cheek.

"Okay, today.  We'll be gone for two weeks and a day."  He smiled, and Rinoa couldn't help but return the smile.

"What about our plans, our reservations?  We lost them all when we didn't go last week."

"Don't worry about it," said Squall.  "We have more than enough Gil saved up to just go somewhere.  Maybe Lag…maybe my…father…can get us set up with a nice honeymoon suite in Esthar.  After that, we could tour the world by train, and make Selphie jealous."

Rinoa laughed.  She never knew her lover to be so spontaneous.  _Around the world, wherever the trains take us?_

"I can't think of a better way to start our marriage," said Rinoa, as she drew Squall into the most passionate kiss they'd shared in a long time.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.  Squall and Rinoa separated, and Squall muttered an un-gentlemanlike curse under his breath.

"There had better be a dozen nuclear missiles headed our way," he muttered to Rinoa.  

She sighed, leaned back in her chair, and said, "Come in."

The new wing of Garden that contained the couple's apartment was equipped with voice-activated doors.  The lock registered Rinoa's voice, and automatically unlatched the door.  Both Leonharts were surprised by the identity of their visitor.  Headmaster Cid stuck his head in the room and asked, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"Actually, sir," said Squall, standing from his kneeling position, "yes."

"Sorry, I remember what it's like to be newlyweds," said Cid.  "But I have to inform you of a highly important mission, for which you must leave today."

Rinoa closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair.  She knew it.  _Can't my husband and I have one _fucking_ minute alone together?_

Squall placed his forehead in his hand and said, "Sir, with all due respect, Rinoa and I…"

"I know, son, I know," said Cid.  "This mission is for the two of you.  Just the two of you."

Rinoa opened her eyes and looked at the headmaster, confused.  "Sir, what do you mean?"

Cid handed Squall what looked like an official communiqué.  "You are both ordered to take the Excalibur to Esthar and meet with President Loire.  You will then spend no less than three weeks enjoying yourselves wherever in the world you choose, care of a personal monetary gift from the President.  He didn't want the Esthar taxpayers thinking he was spending public funds to send his son and daughter-in-law on a honeymoon."

Rinoa stood up.  "Are you serious?"

"Sure as I'm going bald," said the middle-aged man.

Rinoa rushed up to him and hugged him.  "Thanks, Headmaster!"

"Sir, I…I don't know what to say," said Squall.

"You could say 'thank you'," said Cid, with a big grin on his face.  "Don't forget, you're both being paid to go on this mission, so make sure you fulfill it to the best of your abilities."

Rinoa released her hug slightly and looked at his face, her mouth hanging open.  Likewise, Squall's jaw went slack as he heard this development.

"Least we could do for ruining your honeymoon the first time."  Cid laughed lightly.

Rinoa let go of Cid and looked at Squall.  He couldn't remember her looking more ecstatic.  She ran up to him and hugged him hard, letting her feet fly up in the air behind her.  Squall reflexively dropped the communiqué on the floor as he grabbed his wife around her waist.  

"I assume you're both still packed," said Cid.

"Yes, sir, we are.  _Three weeks?_" Squall confirmed, hoping he heard correctly.

"At least," said Cid.  "Just make sure you're back by the time the new cadets arrive next month.  The Excalibur is set to launch in thirty minutes."

With a nod and a grin, Cid turned and left the apartment.  Squall and Rinoa looked at each other.  They were finally getting a honeymoon.  They wouldn't have to worry about anyone but each other.  Work would actually wait here for them, instead of always finding them at the wrong moment.

"Let's check our bags," said Squall.  "I didn't unpack anything, did you?"

"Well," said Rinoa sheepishly, "I got so mad last week when we got assigned to the mission in Winhill that…I, uh…I dumped my suitcases out in disgust."  She pointed to the bathroom.

Squall opened the bathroom door and looked inside.  He saw three large suitcases lying on the floor, and clothes hanging everywhere, as if they'd been kicked by an angry, young, newly married woman.

He looked back at Rinoa, who just gave him her famous puppy-dog-eyes look.  Squall covered his forehead and shook his head.  "We've got thirty minutes to organize that mess."

*

Squall and Rinoa carried their bags to Garden's new landing platform, on the second level.  Garden had had several improvements added to it when the battle damage from the Second Sorceress War was repaired.  The couples' apartments and the landing platform were two of the dozen design improvements that had been added in the past two years.

On the platform stood the Ragnarok, the Esthar-built space plane that had served SeeD as a troop transport and rescue vehicle.  Next to the Ragnarok stood the Excalibur, also known as Ragnarok Junior.  The Excalibur was the same crimson color and basic shape of the Ragnarok, but was much smaller and fit six people comfortably, or three with cargo.  Excalibur had been a gift from Esthar after SeeD helped defend them from a Galbadian invasion.

Zell and Irvine ran up to the couple and took their bags.  "Come on, guys," said Zell, "Everyone's been waiting."

The Leonharts walked briskly up to the Excalibur, where all their friends, old and new, were waiting for them.  Franz Harmon, Seth Obetz, and Pearl Bugenhagen from the latest class of SeeDs, and Quistis, Selphie, Cid, and Matron Edea.  Zell and Irvine tossed the couple's bags into the Excalibur's cargo hold and went to join their friends.

"Guys, we'll miss you," said Rinoa, giving everyone hugs.  Squall opted to rub the back of his head with his hand.

"Have fun, Commander!" said Pearl.

"Make sure you go all night long!" added Franz.  Pearl elbowed him in the stomach.

"I like that guy," said Irvine.

Seth, probably the shyest male in SeeD, just nodded and smiled at Squall.  Squall returned the man's gesture, knowing how uncomfortable the younger one was with interpersonal contact.  Hadn't been too long ago that Squall was the same way. 

Zell ran up to Squall, rubbed his hand on his shirt, and offered it up for a shake.  Surprisingly, Squall took it and gave it a firm, friendly shake.  When Squall took his hand back, Zell just stared at his own, incredulously.

"He…he actually…shook my hand!  Wow, it's true.  Marriage _does_ really change a guy!" commented Zell.

Squall smirked.  "Don't let Zell burn the place down, Quistis."

Quistis smiled and gave Squall a hug and a peck on the cheek.  Being the Deputy Commander, she would take over Squall's duties while he was gone.  "I'll try not to.  Might have to tie him up in the basement with some Oilboyles, though."

Zell was still looking at his hand, and ignored the comment.  When Quistis let go of Squall, Selphie jumped up to him and gave him an aggressive hug.  "You guys make sure to ride on lots of trains, okay?"

Selphie then ran up and hugged Rinoa, who was still hugging Quistis.  Rinoa smiled at her, and drew both her friends into a tight embrace.  "Just for you, Sefie."

Irvine walked up to Squall, and the two shook hands.  Irvine then pulled him into a one-armed hug.

"Take care of the pretty lady, y'hear?" Irvine said.

"Count on it, cowboy," said Squall, patting Irvine on the shoulder.

Lastly, Cid and Edea approached the couple.  Matron wore one of the plain dark dresses she had always worn, before she'd been possessed by Ultimecia.

"You two enjoy yourselves," said Edea, with a warm motherly smile.  "Enjoy your well-deserved rest."

"We will," said Rinoa.  "And thank you both."

"For everything," finished Squall, shaking Cid's hand.  Cid nodded and pulled Squall into another one-armed hug.

Once their goodbyes were finished, Squall and Rinoa boarded the Excalibur and closed the hatch.  Squall waved once more to everyone as he keyed the engine start-up sequence.  Rinoa blew everyone kisses as they backed away, clearing the vessel for launch.

Seconds later, the Excalibur lifted off the Balamb Garden launch pad, and flew off into the eastern sky.

*

Several hours later, Rinoa sat in Squall's lap, as he napped in the pilot's seat of the Excalibur.  Rinoa was been looking at travel brochures that Selphie had thoughtfully left them.  They could have been in Esthar hours ago, but Squall had purposefully set a slow cruising speed.

He had surprised her soon after liftoff by pulling out a plush rug he'd stashed in one of his bags.  Then, he put over the speakers one of the most romantic songs she'd ever heard: _Just The Two Of Us_, a song that sounded like it had been written just for them.  They'd shared a glass of champagne (she still can't figure out how he stashed all the stuff and clothes, too), and then they'd made love on the carpet.  Afterward, they'd made love in the co-pilot's seat (which now needed a good cleaning).  Afterward, they'd gotten dressed and fell asleep in each other's arms in the pilot's seat.

_Guess he was waiting for a place for just the two of us_, Rinoa thought.  She giggled.

Squall stirred awake a when Rinoa ran her fingers through his mussed dark brown hair.  He looked at her, smiled, and asked, "What have you been doing?"

Rinoa nuzzled her lips on his neck.  "Looking at travel brochures that Sefie left us.  What do you think?"

Squall glanced over a couple of them.  "We could always go to Lettsvar, in Trabia.  They're having their summer parade some time next week, I think," he said.

"I don't know. I'd kind of rather stay where it's warm, and we can walk around wearing shorts and T-shirts, and not have weapons or GFs weighing us down," replied Rinoa.

"They're locked up in the hold," said Squall.  "And I don't plan on taking them out until we land back at Garden.  These three weeks will give us memories I _definitely_ don't want to lose."

Rinoa sighed and rested her head on his chest.  She agreed whole-heartedly.  She stroked his chest under his shirt; he'd left his jacket lying somewhere in the back.  If they weren't so close to landing, she'd claim him again.  She felt her hormones bubble up inside of her, and from what she felt underneath her, he felt the same.  She started kissing the part of his chest that was exposed by his thin white shirt.

Squall purred at the softness of her lips against his hairless chest, and began to stroke her bare leg with his right hand.  His left hand worked its way up the back of her shirt, caressing her silky-smooth skin.

Predictably, the panel started beeping.

"We're getting a call from Garden," said Squall.  _I really hope it's just to say goodbye one last time._

"Don't answer it, Squall," said Rinoa.  "If they want us to come back, I think I'll just have to kill them."  _And part of me is dead serious about that._  She continued kissing Squall's chest, and started moving up to his neck.

"There's a text page coming through, too."

Rinoa picked her head up and looked at the readout.  It said _Hey Squall, pick up.  Just want to say goodbye before you land._

"Whatever," said Squall.  "We're ten minutes from landing anyway, so might as well say hello and goodbye."

He took his hand off Rinoa's leg and pressed the Audio Only button.  The beeping stopped, followed by a female voice: "_Balamb Base to Ragnarok.  Come in guys._"

"Hey, Quisty.  What's up?" said Squall

"_Just wanted to say goodbye one last time.  Looks like ten minutes until you land._"

"Yeah," said Squall.  "We're just getting ready to go off autopilot."

"Hey, Quisty!" said Rinoa.

_"Hey, Rinny!  How's your honeymoon treating you so far?"_

"Well, not much so far," said Rinoa.  Squall shot her a questioning look.  "Flight's been kind of boring, actually."

Squall gave her a look of mock hurt.  Rinoa just returned his look with one of cute innocence.  Squall slid his right hand around her side, under her arm, and began tickling her.

Rinoa burst out into laughter as she flailed her arms, trying to get him to stop.  When she couldn't, she drove a hand under one of his arms and began tickling _him_.  He, likewise, started laughing uncontrollably.

_Wonder if anyone would believe that the great Squall Leonhart is ticklish?_ thought Rinoa.

_"Hey, stop it you two,"_ said Quistis, obviously trying to suppress her giggles.

Squall and Rinoa declared a temporary truce, long enough for Squall to land them. _After that_, thought Rinoa, _he's fair game._

"We're approaching Esthar's landing pattern, Quist," said Squall.  "How's everything…"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash and an explosion.  Rinoa screamed as they were both thrown out of their seat onto the deck.

"What the hell…?  Quistis, we're under attack!" shouted Squall.

No response.  The radio must have cut out.

"Quistis!" shouted Squall again.

There was another crash and explosion, and the couple felt sudden weightlessness as the Excalibur went into a freefall.

"Squall!" cried Rinoa.  Squall grabbed her and held her close.  With her in tow, he grabbed at the front panel to trigger the cockpit ejection.  When he finally reached the ejection control, he mashed the glass with his fist, triggering the button below.

Nothing happened.  The latches must have gotten damaged in the explosions.

"We can't eject!  There's no way out!"

Rinoa closed her eyes tightly, trying to shut out the growing whine as the Excalibur streaked out of the sky.

"What do we do, Squall?" she cried.  They couldn't die.  They had so much left to do.  She had so much left to say to him.

Squall looked out the forward window and saw the ground, indicating they were in a nosedive.  They were falling rapidly.  _I don't think we have more than twenty seconds until impact_.  The cockpit couldn't eject, and if they opened the outer hatch and tried to jump out, even with parachutes or Float spells, both they and the ship would be torn apart by the sudden change in air pressure.

Squall grabbed Rinoa tightly, and she did the same to him.  "I love you Rin," Squall said.

Rinoa's heart dropped.  He'd given up.  He wouldn't do that unless the situation was utterly hopeless.  Tears flowed out of her eyes and began to float away from them.

"I love you too, Squall."

*

"Hey, stop it you two," said Quistis.  _A tickle fight?_  That's _something I never expected Squall to get involved in._  Both Quistis and Pearl, the communications operator, tried unsuccessfully to suppress giggles.  Maybe they should know that Pearl could hear everything they were saying, too.  At least they were the only two in the command center wearing headphones.

She heard their laughing die down into sighs.  Then Squall said, _"We're approaching Esthar's landing pattern, Quist.  How's everything…"_

His voice was cut off by a loud clanking sound, and what sounded like an explosion.

_"What the…"_ Squall's voice was cut off by static.

"Squall?  Squall!  Pearl, what happened?" Quistis demanded.

"I…I don't know, ma'am," said Pearl, quickly keying her console, trying to restore the link.

"March, put their radar image on the main screen," Quistis ordered to the radar operator.  March, a senior year cadet on a work training detail, quickly punched up the image to the large screen at the front of the room.

"What happened?" repeated Quistis.

"I-it looks like something hit them and exploded, ma'am.  But nothing came up on the radar!" said March.

"It definitely sounded like a crash, and then an explosion," said Pearl.

Quistis put her hand up to her mouth.  "Pearl, contact Esthar on the emergency channel, Priority One, and inform them that President Loire's guests are in serious trouble.  Give them the Excalibur's coordinates and tell them there's been an explosion on board."

"Ma'am," said March, "They're losing altitude rapidly now.  They're about to fall below radar."

"Track them as long as possible." Said Quistis.  She keyed the intercom.  "This is Deputy Commander Quistis Trepe.  We need an emergency rescue crew to the Ragnarok on the double.  Commander Leonhart's shuttle is in danger."  She dared not say more, until she knew what was happening.

"Ma'am, they've dropped below radar," said March.  He could only slightly disguise the shock in his voice.  "The escape pod never launched.  It's possible it was damaged in the explosion.  And at the speed they were falling…"

March didn't have time to finish the sentence.  Quistis threw off her headphones and ran out to the Ragnarok, meeting the emergency rescue crew there.  As she ordered the crew aboard, and then boarded herself, she couldn't escape one thought.

_If they didn't eject, they're dead now._

************

Author's note:  The version of _Just The Two Of Us_ I referred to here is the version by Grover Washington Jr.  Listen to it, and you'll see why I picked it J.


	2. Chapter 2: Despair

Disclaimer:  SquareSoft owns Final Fantasy and all related characters.

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CHAPTER 2: DESPAIR

Quistis spoke to no one on the trip back to Garden.  Night had fallen, and she simply stared out into the stars.

I can't believe it.  I just can't believe it.  Why, Hyne?  Why?  At least you took them together, so they'll be together in Heaven.  The bodies were so badly mangled, I…I…

Quistis tried to quiet her thoughts.  She couldn't break down.  Not yet.  She had to be strong, at least until they landed.

When the Ragnarok finally touched down, Zell, Irvine and Selphie were waiting for her.  As she disembarked the space plane, the three SeeDs ran up to her and waited for her to tell them what she'd seen.  Instead, Quistis released the sobs she'd been holding in for two hours.  She hugged Selphie, whose mouth just fell open.  Quistis didn't need to say a word.  Tears began to fill Selphie's eyes.

Irvine and Zell just looked on, in utter shock.  Moments later, the rescue crew carried out two body bags on stretchers.  When Selphie saw them in the landing pad's spotlights, she screamed out, "No!  Nonono!"  

She and Quistis both started crying even harder.  Even Zell and Irvine couldn't hold their tears back.  They wrapped their arms around Quistis and Selphie, and just stood on the Garden landing platform, crying for their lost friends.

*

About ten minutes later, they all went into Quistis' office.  Irvine and Selphie sat on the couch, cradling each other in their arms.  Irvine rocked Selphie gently, hoping to help soothe her.

Quistis sat behind her desk and just stared out into space.  She'd expended all her emotional energy crying, and instead settled now for complete numbness.  Zell simply paced the room, his fury boiling over.  Everyone could hear him muttering curses and threats to personally rip apart whoever was responsible for this.  

Finally, he slapped his hands on Quistis' desk, leaned over toward her, and exclaimed, "Who did this.  _Who?_  I want to be on the team that finds the people that did this.  _And I want to rip their fucking heads off!_"

When Quistis said nothing, Zell started shouting again, "_Who did this_?  Don't we know?  Who the hell…?"

Quistis shot up and screamed right in Zell's face, "_I DON'T KNOW GODDAMMIT!_  _I don't know!_"

Zell, shocked at Quistis' explosion, backed off and sank into one of the chairs in front of her desk.  His arms went limp, and he just stared forward.  Not at Quistis, but at empty space.

Quistis fell back into her chair.  She hid her face with her hands, trying to make sense of it all.

They were on their honeymoon.  It's not like they were in battle.  They were going to relax and spend some time with each other.  They weren't hurting anyone.  What kind of coward would do this?

Quistis watched her phone.  The DNA tests on the bodies would be finished pretty soon (thanks to another donated piece of equipment from Esthar). After the Headmaster gets the results, she knew she'd be the first one he'd call.

_That will be the hardest call I'll ever have to take_, Quistis thought, her body trembling.

*

Four Hours Earlier:

They were about twenty seconds from impact.  Their ejection system had failed, and they were falling too rapidly to open any hatches without killing themselves instantly.

Squall grabbed Rinoa tightly, and she did the same to him.  "I love you Rin," Squall said.

"I love you too, Squall."

Rinoa held him as tightly as she ever had.  She was so scared.  She wanted them to go on living, to raise a family together, to grow old and die peacefully, of old age, together.  Not like this.

She felt the despair in her heart overwhelm her entire body.  Then, however, she felt something else.  It felt like her Limit Break kicking in, but much more powerful.

"Squall?" she said.

Squall didn't answer.  He could feel her energies rising, and suddenly they could hear each other's thoughts.

_What's happening?_ thought Squall.

_I don't know,_ answered Rinoa.

Just then, Rinoa's mystical wings sprouted from her back, filling half of the cockpit.  As the couple huddled even more tightly into each other, the wings wrapped around them, morphing into a solid, egg-shaped shell.

Finally, the Excalibur struck the ground.  It threw up tons of dirt and created a blast crater six feet deep and thirty feet wide.  The ship crumpled with the impact like a soda can being stepped on by a T-Rexaur.  An instant later, the fuel tanks ignited, creating a fireball large enough to be seen all the way in Esthar city.

The explosion threw out many fragments of the ship and its cargo.  One reinforced container split open in mid-air, spreading GF spheres, a gunblade, and a blaster edge weapon about the surrounding field.

Another object emerged from the flames, but in a more controlled path.  The object was the egg-shaped shell that had formed around Rinoa and Squall, pure, bright white in color.  The egg landed softly in the grass at a safe distance from the crash site.  As soon as it settled, the egg split open down the center and spread itself wide, revealing its passengers.  The two halves of the eggshell then transformed into white-feathered wings, still attached to Rinoa's back.  Seconds later, the wings shrunk and retracted back into Rinoa's body, disappearing as if they had never existed

When Squall and Rinoa realized they were alive, they let go of each other and lay on the ground, catching their breath.  Squall looked over at Rinoa and said, "I thought we were going to die."

Rinoa looked at him, her eyes wide with amazement.  Through gasping breaths, she said, "I did too.  I was so desperate to save us.  My Sorceress powers must have reacted as a reflex."

Squall turned his head back, so he was looking up at the darkening sky.  "Thank Hyne for that."

_I love you Squall_, thought Rinoa.

_I love you too, Rinoa_, thought Squall.

I can hear your thoughts.

_And I can hear yours, Rin.  Before, I thought I could sense your feelings, but now it's as clear as if we were talking._

_Yeah, it is, _replied Rinoa. _It's scaring me, though._

_I understand, _thought Squall.  Then, he said aloud, "We should collect our weapons and GFs.  We should wait it out here until either Laguna or Quistis send a rescue party."

With that, Squall sat up, and then stood.  Physically, he felt fine.  Whatever Rinoa had done, it had protected them from any injury, even from the sudden stop of hitting the ground. He looked down at Rinoa.  "Can you stand up?"

"Yeah," she replied.  Squall offered his hand, which she used to pull herself up off the ground.  She was surprised that neither of them had been injured.  She looked Squall over, and couldn't even see a scratch on him.

As Squall checked her over for any injuries, she caught a glimpse of a long, shiny object in the grass a few yards away.  "Hey, there's your gunblade, I think."

When Squall finished checking Rinoa and was satisfied that she also was perfectly fine, he walked over and grabbed the gunblade.  It was hot to the touch, but not unbearably so.  _Good thing the metal I used to upgrade it doesn't melt easily_, he thought as he sheathed the sword at his belt.

_Squall, someone's coming_, thought Rinoa.

Squall spun around quickly, drawing his blade and scanning the area around them.  He could just hear voices talking to each other.  He just barely saw the people approaching, but the land around them was an open field with nowhere to hide, besides the blast crater.  Unfortunately, however, the temperature inside there could still incinerate both of them.

_Can you see our GFs anywhere?_ asked Squall.

_No, everything in that case must have scattered in the explosion,_ she replied.  _I can't find my blaster edge, either._

Then come get behind me.  If they're hostile, I'll protect you.

.

Rinoa complied.  Even without her weapon, she was a formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat.  However, she knew it would be safer for Squall, who was armed, to guard her.

"There they are," came the voices.

_I hope that's our search party_, thought Squall.

_No, I don't think it is_, replied Rinoa.

"Yeah, you were right.  The witch did protect them both from being killed in the crash.  Guess I owe you a drink."

Finally, one of the voices addressed Squall and Rinoa directly.  "Sorceress Rinoa and Knight, surrender yourselves immediately.  You are in violations of the laws of nature and of Hyne, and are to be punished accordingly."

_Don't move, Rin_, thought Squall.  _If any of them tries to touch you, they're going lost their arm._

I trust you, Squall.

The attackers were now fully visible in the light of the sunset.  They wore plain olive green uniforms and brass hats that almost looked like they had once been soup bowls.  They also each wore a pair of dark goggles on their eyes, and carried machine guns.

"Drop your weapon, and I promise your executions will be swift and painless!"

Squall looked around them.  They were completely surrounded, with no possible direction to escape.

"Go to hell!" shouted Squall.  "What do you want with us?"

_Can you raise that shield again, Rin?_

Rinoa concentrated and grunted, but replied, _I can't!_

"You'll see!" shouted back the lead soldier. Suddenly, one of the soldiers behind Squall and Rinoa fired a bolt of electricity from a strange-looking weapon.  The energy bolt struck the couple, causing them to scream in pain.  Squall's gunblade dropped out of his hand and embedded its tip in the ground.  Seconds later, Rinoa and Squall both fell onto the grass, unconscious.

*

Four and a Half Hours Later:

Quistis, wanting to break the ominous silence in her office, said, "We found all their GF spheres, and Rinoa's blaster edge weapon, thrown clear of the crash site.  We'll decide how to redistribute the GFs later."

Selphie looked up from Irvine's shoulder.  She felt like she should be mad at Quistis for bringing up such a trite issue at a time like this.  She quickly realized, though, that Quistis must be under tremendous stress, and was trying somehow to alleviate it.

Irvine and Zell just looked at Quistis.  They were starting to feel very badly for her, because, as Commander, she would be the one to make the funeral arrangements for Squall and Rinoa.

The phone rang.  Everyone jumped slightly at the shrill beeping.  Quistis picked up the receiver and slowly put it up to her ear.  "Deputy Commander Trepe," she said.

Irvine, Selphie, and Zell could hear a male voice on the phone, but could not tell what was being said.

"Yes, sir," said Quistis.  "Thank you sir."  She slowly hung up the phone and covered her face in her hands.

Her friends looked at her, hoping for an answer to their unasked question.  Instead, they got it from the loudspeaker.

_"Attention, Balamb Garden SeeDs, staff, and students.  Attention please."_ Cid's voice was slightly shaky.  _"The Excalibur, carrying Squall and Rinoa Leonhart to Esthar, crashed into the Esthar continent some four and a half hours ago.  Our rescue team has returned with two bodies that DNA testing has confirmed to be those of Commander and Mrs. Leonhart._

_"Because of this tragic event, I hereby promote Deputy Commander Quistis Trepe to SeeD Commander.  I offer my congratulations to Commander Trepe, and my sincere condolences to all of Squall and Rinoa's friends.  They will be missed by us all.  _

_"Funeral arrangements will be made shortly.  In honor of the loved ones Garden has lost today, and to devote as many people as possible to the investigation, classes and exams will be canceled until further notice.  That is all."_

The intercom clicked off.

Quistis' sobs filled the sudden quiet of the office.  Selphie's joined shortly after, followed by Irvine and Zell's.

******

Author's Note:  I wouldn't let Squall and Rinoa die in the crash.  They're my faves, hands-down.  Please stay tuned for the next exciting episode!


	3. Chapter 3: Hope

CHAPTER 3: HOPE

Quistis quietly closed the door of her dorm room.  She removed her uniform jacket, and threw it onto her bed.  After pouring herself a much-needed glass of water, she looked at herself in her vanity mirror, taking in her appearance. She could not miss the new lines that had appeared under her eyes.

Standing there in her tight blue uniform undershirt, she thought she looked to have aged ten years in the past three days.  In that time, she had witnessed the horrendously mangled bodies of two of her closest friends, being pulled from the wreckage of the ship they'd been flying to their honeymoon, then been promoted to the position of SeeD Commander, taking over the job of one of her deceased companions.  Finally, today she'd delivered the eulogy at their funeral, and helped to bury them in the Garden cemetery.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and a string of images flashed into her mind.  Her talking to Squall in the secret meeting area behind the training center, telling him her Instructor's license had been revoked.  His outburst in the Galbadia Garden waiting room, after they'd been told of Seifer Almasy's supposed execution.  Squall disembarking Garden at Fisherman's Horizon, carrying the comatose Rinoa on is back.  Squall and Rinoa kissing on the balcony of Garden's ballroom, the evening after they returned from Time Compression.  Squall presenting Rinoa with her SeeD rank, after she'd passed her field exam.  Rinoa scolding Squall, in front of everyone, for canceling one of their dates.  The couple, happy as can be, as they exchanged vows in the Garden chapel.  The looks of excitement they had as they boarded the Excalibur for Esthar, only a few days ago.

Then, darker images forced themselves into her mind's eye.  Twin oak caskets, each adorned with a SeeD flag and dozens of white roses, being lowered into the earth.  The looks of despair on their friends' faces as they passed the twin caskets at the funeral.  The pain in Laguna Loire's face.  The disbelieving look Matron gave Rinoa's casket as she walked past it.  

The burned and mangled bodies of Squall and Rinoa, being removed from the wreckage of the Excalibur.

Quistis placed her hands at her temples and pressed inward, trying to squeeze that last image out of her head.  As if responding to reverse psychology, her mind replayed those images over and over again, each time becoming clearer and more gruesome.  Finally, she saw an image of the bodies, with the faces intact enough to have eyes, wide open, staring at her accusingly.

No!  Nonononononono! 

Their eyes…their eyes stared at her…

"No!" she cried, flinging her glass against the wall.  The glass shattered into dozens of small pieces and sprayed water everywhere.

Quistis fell backwards, fortunately landing on her bed.  As she did that, she released all the tears she'd been holding in during the funeral.  As Commander, she'd tried to keep her emotions in check, to be strong for the good of all Garden students and staff.  Here, though, where she was alone, she did not fear letting go of her control.

Quistis lay there for some time, weeping bitterly, until she heard an announcement on the PA calling her to Cid's office.

*

Three days earlier… 

She awoke in a dark room.  Every part of her body simultaneously ached and felt numb.  She didn't understand where she was, or how she had gotten here.  Had she fallen asleep, waiting for the rescue squad, and was having a nightmare?

She heard a slight rustle and light metallic clinking a few feet away from her.  She tried to sense who or what it was she heard.  She stretched out with her mind, trying to at least get a feeling for what might be making the sound, but her efforts failed.  She felt as if a wet blanket had been hung on her mind, dulling her thoughts and perceptions.

She decided to risk speaking, hoping the sound was her husband, and not a flesh-eating beast stalking its prey in the dark.

"Squall?  Are you there?"

She heard a murmur, or perhaps more of a whimper.  _It is Squall.  And he sounds like he's in pain!_

"Squall, can you hear me?"

"Uhhh…Rin?  I-is that…you?" he asked weakly.

Rinoa squeezed her eyes shut, releasing tears of relief.  "Squall, what's going on?  Where are we?"

"I…I don't know," Squall responded, slurring his words heavily.  "I think…I've been drugged.  Are you all right?"

The memories came flashing back to her in an instant.  After the crash, they'd just gotten their senses when they were attacked by a group of strangely dressed soldiers.  She'd felt a sudden, searing pain tear throughout her body, and then she was here.  

Rinoa shifted her body, and felt the constrictive metal shackles on her wrists and bare ankles.  She gave a slight yelp, as the movement of her skin against the metal, which felt heavily corroded, tore her skin.  She couldn't imagine how long they'd been hanging here.

"Rin?  Are you okay?" Squall asked, fighting the effects of the drugs.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine.  These shackles are cutting into my wrists and ankles."

_I can't sense anything outside myself, but I don't feel like I'm drugged.  Why would they do it to Squall and not me?_ _ Unless they thought I was helpless without him?_

She moved her body again, trying not to disturb her wrists and ankles for the time being.  She felt a wooden plank at her back, rough and splintery.  She did feel some garment protecting her skin from the wood, but not as much she had been wearing before.  The fabric felt rough and dirty.  Their captors had probably removed their clothes and given them some kind of prison-issue outfits.

She felt her anger rise at that thought.  Strangers violating her body by stripping her naked while she was unconscious.  _What else did they do to me?  If I get my hands on them, I'll…_

She stopped that thought short as she felt something burn against her chest.  She gasped in pain, and as she did so, the burning subsided.  She felt that the platinum chain she normally wore around her neck, the one with her mother's and Squall's rings on it, wasn't around her neck.  Instead, they had been replaced with a heavier, larger medallion of some sort.

She tried to concentrate, focusing her energies on releasing her bonds.  Instead, she felt the medallion burn once again, this time more intensely.

"Aah!" she shrieked, just as the medallion started to cool again.  It reacted when she tried to actively use her powers…

_Oh, Hyne,_ thought Rinoa.  _It's an Odine bangle.  That's why my mind is so clouded up.  It's blocking my powers._

"Squall," she said, "they've put an Odine bangle on me.  I can't use my powers."

"Uuh," moaned Squall.  "I can't even feel my arms and legs.  If I c-could…uuh."  _What's going on?_ thought Squall.  _Who would do this to us?_

His answer, it seemed, was quick in coming.  The door to the room opened, letting blinding lights spill into the room.  Both Rinoa and Squall shut their eyes tightly against the brightness.

They heard a figure march in, wearing older-style combat boots, from the sound of them.  Rinoa tried to open her eyes, but they were too accustomed to the dark to allow her to see in such bright light. Instead, she turned her head in the direction of the figure as it paced back and forth in the room.

"So," said the figure, finally.  The voice was marginally male, and had a high, wining tone to it.  "The Sorceress Rinoa and her Knight, Storm."

"S…Squall," Squall muttered through clenched teeth.  He tried to raise his head and open his eyes, but all his strength had been sapped.

"Huh, whatever," dismissed the newcomer, unknowingly imitating Squall's signature line.  "Do you two know where you are?"

Rinoa opened her eyes slightly.  They were starting to get accustomed to the light, and she could see the silhouette of the man before them.  He wore a strange hat on his head, similar if not identical to the ones worn by the soldiers that had attacked them earlier.  

Rinoa gritted her teeth and said, "We are being held against our will by some wackos that haven't even told us what they want with us."

That response gained her a slap in her face.  A very hard one that cut the inside of her cheek against her teeth.  She felt blood begin to ooze from the wounds.

"I wouldn't be as bold, if I were you," scolded the man, sticking his face in Rinoa's.  His hot, stinking breath burned her nostrils.

In response, Rinoa spit out her blood onto his face, and said, "Fuck you!"

The man stepped back, wiping the red fluid out of his eye.  Squall, who had just looked up to see her do it, said, "Good shot."

He man, now boiling mad, drew his sidearm and pointed it at Rinoa's forehead.  "Maybe I should just carry out your sentence now!"

"Hey!" shouted a voice from outside the room.  "Put it down, Janson.  The leaders said they are not to be killed yet.  You want to go explain to them why their sorceress has a bullet hole in her head?"

Janson, still with Rinoa's blood on his face, clenched his teeth, and squinted menacingly at Rinoa as he holstered the weapon.

Rinoa took this opportunity to get in a few jabs, hoping she could distract their tormentor and use it against him.  "You do realize, that Squall is the Commander of SeeD, and I am an A rank SeeD, the highest level possible.  SeeD will come for us.  And such a ragtag, idiotic bunch as you will be quick work for them."

"Oh, they'll come, but not for you.  They think you're dead," said the other voice.  "We placed clones of you and your boyfriend there in the wreckage of your ship.  Crude clones, yes, but good enough to pass a DNA test.  And after our work is done, whether they come for us doesn't matter.  We'll have done our job, and will die for our cause."

"I'll enjoy carrying out your execution, in due time," said Janson, his words laced with the venom of a man trying to save face with his comrades.  He spun around and stormed out of the room with his companion.  The door was shut, and once again, Rinoa and Squall were in complete darkness.

Rinoa dropped her head, for the first time since their capture being truly afraid.  "Squall, they're going to _execute_ us.  Why?  What have we done?"

Squall tried to concentrate on her words and the meaning of them.  He wasn't sure how, but it felt as if the effects of the drugs were becoming stronger.  He tried to tell Rinoa that he would do whatever he could to protect her, but instead only let out a slurred whisper before passing out completely.

Rinoa squeezed her eyes shut, allowing her tears of anxiety to drip down onto the floor, and then came to a realization.

Someone wants my powers.  That's what it has to be.  That's why they want to execute me, and why that one didn't shoot me when he had the chance.  Someone is going to kill me, and take my powers as I die.

She wished they hadn't drugged Squall.  Even if there was no way out of this for them, she wished she could at least talk to him, to tell him she loved him, before they died.  At that moment, she felt so unbelievably alone and frightened that she wished, for a second, that she _would_ die.

*

Three days later… 

Quistis, having changed into her standard combat outfit, walked into Cid's office.  Inside, she saw Cid and Edea, standing and talking to each other.  Both looked quite disturbed.  Quistis figured they were still coming to terms with Squall and Rinoa's death, it being so soon after the burial ceremony.

"Commander Trepe," greeted Cid.  "Glad you're here."

"Thank you, sir.  Hello, Matron."

Edea gave her a warm, if distracted, smile.  "Hello Quistis.  You did very well at the funeral today."

Quistis smiled slightly and thanked Edea.  Edea then looked away, as if concentrating on something else.

"Quistis, Edea has brought something very strange to my attention, and I'd like your input on it," said Cid.  "Edea, could you please explain?"

Edea, looked in Quistis' direction, but not at her.  It was as if she were looking through Quistis at something across the room.

"Today, during the funeral, when I walked up to the caskets to…to say goodbye, I felt something strange.  An emptiness."

Quistis gave her a quizzical look.  "Matron, they're dead.  When someone dies, their body becomes empty.  We learned that in Sunday school as children."

Edea shook her head.  "No, that's not what I mean.  A Sorceress does not die unless she passes on her powers to someone else.  Even if her body is incapable of supporting her life, her soul cannot leave it until her powers can enter another.  But even after a Sorceress dies, and the power has been passed on, it leaves a fingerprint, or an 'afterglow', if you will.  I felt nothing coming from Rinoa's casket.  It's as if she never was a Sorceress."

Quistis turned away, drinking in the information.  _What…what is she saying?_

Edea, sensing Quistis' confusion, explained.  "A Sorceress' body can never be cleaned of the afterglow, even after years of decomposition.  The only way a body can lack it is if that person was never a Sorceress."

"But…but we _know_ Rinoa was a Sorceress," said Quistis.

"Yes.  I sensed the power within her, when she was in her coma, after you defeated me in Galbadia."

"Wait, this doesn't make any sense," said Quistis.  "I thought your powers were sealed by Doctor Odine after we freed you of Ultimecia's control."

Edea looked away, as if focusing on something else.  "He did.  For two years, I felt like a normal person.  No extra senses, no superhuman abilities.  Then, three days ago, I felt everything returning.  I thought, perhaps, that I was hallucinating, feeling the shock of the news of Squall and Rinoa's death.  But I can make no mistake about it: my powers have returned.  And the body in Rinoa's casket was definitely never Rinoa.  You can fool DNA tests, but not a three hundred-year-old Sorceress."

Quistis mouth dropped open.  For a second, she was speechless.  This grain of hope was almost too much to be true.  "You…you're saying…Rinoa might be…"

"Alive?  I can't say.  But I can say that the body we found was definitely not hers.  It also stands to reason that the body we identified as Squall was probably not his."  Edea now looked at Quistis, focusing her attention on the younger woman.

Quistis looked into Edea's eyes for a second.  _She's dead serious.  If she's right…_

"Headmaster," said Quistis, "we need to get another crew over there, find out where they are.  We need to contact Esthar's…"

"We've already tried that," replied Cid, with a grave tone in his voice.  "President Loire made the communication himself, after we told him.  There was no response from anyone on the Esthar continent, as if they were in total blackout.  We couldn't even raise our investigative team that's there now."  

Cid continued, "Against my advice, Laguna and his entourage left in his airship just before I called you.  I want you to take a team in the Ragnarok, catch up to him, and ensure his safe passage back to the Presidential palace.  If there's been a coup, that could be why the Excalibur was shot down.  I want you to help the president get to the bottom of it."

Quistis felt her body surge with energy.  "Yes, sir, I'm on my way!"  She sprinted out of Cid's office toward her own, and grabbed her desk phone once inside.  She punched the extension for Nida's dorm room, and heard a tired greeting on the other end.

"Deputy Commander," she said into the phone, trying to contain her excitement.  "I need you to take charge for now.  I'm going to Esthar to escort Laguna, and to lead a second investigative crew there.  There's a possibility…that Squall and Rinoa are alive."

"What?" came the male voice.  "Ma'am, don't joke like that.  We just had the funeral…"

"Nida, I'm dead serious.  I don't have time to explain now, but I promise you'll get one.  Get up here now.  I'll call you when I'm en route to Esthar."

*

Just over two hours later, Quistis sat in the co-pilot's seat of the Ragnarok, once again going over her preliminary plan for the investigation.  They still had not been able to raise Esthar, so she wasn't counting on any help from them just yet.

They flew alongside the _Raine Loire_, Laguna's personal transport ship.  Laguna had welcomed SeeD's escort, given the lack of communication with his homeland.

"Quist," said Zell, who was piloting the Ragnarok, "still nada.  We're not even receiving their proximity beacon, but it should be screaming at us to identify ourselves by now."

Quistis keyed the intership communication panel.  "_Raine Loire_, this is Ragnarok.  We are well within range of the proximity beacons, but still nothing.  Is it possible someone reactivated the device used to seal up the Sorceress?  Could that cause this kind of interference?"

_"Possible, but unlikely,"_ returned Laguna's voice.  _"It was damaged when you guys rescued Rinoa, and I never ordered it to be repaired.  I…I just didn't have the heart."_

Quistis sighed.  Laguna was very human.  As much as she respected him, she feared he was a bit too sentimental at times.  For his own good, and that of his country.

"Well, our communications between the ships don't seem to be impaired in any way.  It's like there's a total blackout in Esthar, or there's some shield blocking it from sending or receiving," ventured Quistis.

"I can't imagine what could…" 

"Quist," interrupted Zell, "We can see Esthar City now."

Quistis looked through the cockpit's forward window, and could see the sprawling metropolis that was Esthar.  There was smoke coming from several of the buildings, and many others looked as if they'd been damaged by missile fire.  The sentry airships that normally patrolled overhead were missing.

"Mister President," said Quistis into the communicator, "It looks like there has been some kind of battle here.  You should wait here while we have another combat unit sent from Garden."

_"Negative,"_ said Laguna.  _"I took an oath to protect my people, even from their own military.  I'm going to face it head-on."_

"Sir, you can't help them if you get killed!"

Before Laguna could reply, both ships were hit hard by an invisible force.  Quistis and several others in the cockpit were thrown from their seats, but Zell held his controls tightly.  They heard shouting from onboard the _Raine Loire_ over the cockpit speakers.

"Evasive!" shouted Quistis.

Zell  jerked the controls, but the ship didn't change course.  "Damn, it's not working!  It's like we're caught in some kind of net!"

"_Raine Loire_, can you hear me?  Is everyone all right over there?" shouted Quistis into the still-open communication channel.  She climbed back into her seat.

"We're shaken up a bit, but okay.  This isn't any kind of technology that we have!" 

"Then what…?"

_Ragnarok and _Raine Loire_, you are to leave Esthar air space immediately._

"What the…?" said Quistis.  That voice hadn't come from the speakers, it was _inside her head_!  From the looks of the rest of the crew in the cockpit, they had "heard" it too.

_"Who are you?"_ came Laguna's voice over the open channel.

_I am Sorceress Nefalia, new ruler of Esthar.  You will leave at once, or be destroyed._  The voice was female.  It sounded almost familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"I demand that you…" 

_Enough talk.  Leave now!_

With that, both ships spun around in the air, and were propelled in the direction from which they had come, as if they were ammunition in a slingshot.  Quistis attempted to fasten her safety belt amid the ship's intense vibrations.

"Hang on!" shouted Zell  "Controls are back!  I'll try to stabilize!"

He activated the retro boosters, trying to slow their dangerous speed.  As they slowed, the vibrations weakened.

"I have attitude control," said Zell.  "Doesn't look like we were too badly damaged, thank Hyne."

"_Raine Loire_, can you hear me?  Is everyone all right?" asked Quistis.

_"Commander Trepe, this is Kiros," _came the reply.  _"The president hit his head when we were thrown away from Esthar City.  He has a concussion, but should be all right."_

"The please tell him," said Quistis, trying to find the correct words, "please tell him that it seems we have a much bigger problem on our hands than we thought."

~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:  Sorry for the late update!  Been busy with work and other stuff, but I'll do my best to get new chapters out sooner!


	4. Chapter 4: Preparations

CHAPTER 4: PREPARATIONS

The SeeD War Room, a secret chamber off of Headmaster Cid's office, was where Cid had devised strategies with his SeeDs during the beginning of the Second Sorceress War.  When he had passed the mantle of leadership to Squall, Squall had used it to plan their attack on Galbadia Garden to confront Sorceress Edea.  Now, Cid, Laguna, Quistis, Zell, Selphie, Irvine, Nida and Xu surrounded the circular map table, looking over computer-generated tactical charts and telemetry of Esthar's capital city. Kiros and Ward stood behind Laguna, backing him up.

Quistis pressed a button on the control panel.  A small green arc appeared a few scale miles from the border of Esthar City, over the country's western coast.  "Here is where we got hit by that energy wave," she said.  "The two possibilities we've determined are that this is either a force field designed to repel incoming air vehicles, or that it was the power of this Sorceress Nefalia.  Either way, we can't expect to get in by air."

"What about over ground or by sea?" asked Xu.  "Is the whole continent protected?

"We have no way of knowing without actually trying," said Quistis.  "However, it's likely that they would expect us to try that next, and I don't want to put more of our people's lives in danger until we actually know what's happening there."

Laguna spoke up.  "What I'm about to tell you is Top Secret Esthar military information, but we don't have much choice at this point.  I ask you all, as my friends and as the friends of my son, to never reveal this to anyone."

Everyone nodded at him, except Kiros and Ward, who gave him questioning looks.  He smiled lightly, rubbing the bandage on his forehead, and continued, "The invisibility shield has protected most of our continent for about two decades.  It requires tremendous power to operate, and it's unlikely they've been able to modify the shield to use as a repulsor.  Unless their technology is centuries ahead of us, which I doubt, they can't have enough power to protect the entire continent at once.  And, even if it's the power of the Sorceress that blocked us, she can't possibly shield such a large area.  Even Adel herself wasn't that powerful."

He sighed slowly.  Kiros and Ward put reassuring hands on his shoulders.  He gave them a half-smile and continued, "We've tried every means of communication we can to get ahold of someone inside Esthar.  Land lines, aerial comm systems, they've all been either cut off or jammed.  However, the continental shield was designed to also act as a communication jamming wave, so that part can be explained."

"Ok, so we can't to talk to anyone there," said Zell.  "But I really doubt that your people are giving up without a fight.  The last time I was there, they said they liked your leadership a lot, Laguna.  I mean, there's gotta be somebody there that'll help us if we go in."

"No, we can't assume anything, Zell," said Quistis.  "Remember Deling City, back when Edea announced to the people that she was going to lead Galbadia to conquer the world, and then killed Vinzer Deling right in front of them?  They all cheered.  Nobody panicked when they saw her gut him with her fingers.  She, or rather, Ultimecia, must have had them mesmerized.  Maybe not like zombies, but enough to get them to support her unconditionally.  There's a good chance, I think, that the same thing will happen, if it hasn't already, in Esthar."

"So whadda we do, Quisty…I mean, Commander?" asked Selphie.  "If we wait too long to attack her, then we'll be in even more trouble!"

Laguna broke in.  "If you're worried about funding, don't worry.  I have more than enough cash stowed away for this kind of emergency.  Billions of gil, however much SeeD needs to take this contract."

Cid gave Laguna a grim smile.  "Thank you, Mister President.  As much as I hate saying this, SeeD won't be physically able to take on an operation of this magnitude without funding.  By our nature, we live paycheck-to-paycheck, as it were."

At that moment, a chime sounded.  Cid pressed a button on the map table and said, "Yes?"

"Sir, there's…ah…some people here to see you.  They refuse to leave without speaking to you about the Esthar situation."

Cid looked at Quistis.  She motioned to Zell and Selphie, who nodded and escorted Cid out of the War Room.  They would be his bodyguards, in case the visitors were hostile.

"We will rally the Gardens together," said Quistis.  "Now that we have SeeDs stationed at all three Gardens, we can build a multi-pronged offensive."  She zoomed the map out to a Mercator view of the world.  The locations of Balamb, Trabia, and Galbadia Gardens were marked with yellow circles and statistics of the numbers of troops, vehicles, and long-range weapons stationed at each.  "Balamb can attack from the west, Trabia from the north, and Galbadia from the east.  Even if we can't land them on Esthar, we can at least get close enough to inject troops and equipment."

"They have to know SeeD is involved, though," said Irvine.  "They probably know this is coming, and are ready for it."

"They may know it's coming," said Quistis, "but that doesn't necessarily mean they're ready.  It's been, at most, three days since the Sorceress took power, as that was when you left there to come to…to come here.  Right, Mister President?"  Quistis tried not to mention Squall and Rinoa's funeral. Even though there was now a possibility they were alive, she didn't want to remind everyone about them yet.   

Laguna nodded grimly.  _First my wife, then my son, then my country.  The only thing I haven't lost is Ellone.  I hope she doesn't insist on coming with me when I go back._

Just then, the War Room door opened again.  Cid, Zell, and Selphie entered, followed by a tall blonde man in a trench coat, a petite albino woman with a patch over one eye, and a muscular, dark-skinned man.

"You!" said Quistis with surprise.

*

The stone chamber was adorned with lavish tapestries and curtains, even though it lacked windows.  Only a single oak door disturbed the gothic architecture of the cavernous room.  A light, cool breeze blew in from an air vent in the ceiling, an out-of-place modern addition to the ancient room.  Unseen light sources brought a warm glow to the room.

Inside the room was an ornate golden chair, encrusted with the jewels larger than any previously known to mankind.  It was a throne fit for royalty of the highest order.  And in that throne sat a petite woman that looked lost in the luscious, flowing robes that covered her entire body.  She wore a magnificent headgear that intertwined gold and silver strands with her silken black hair.  Only her face and the top of her bust were visible.  She seemed to be a mere child, the mantle of command thrust upon her.  Yet her delicate face held an expression of knowledge and comfort with whatever power she wielded.

Next to her stood a tall man of medium build, under a complex, yet functional, suit of black and gray armor.  His right hand rested on the hilt of a sword, hanging sheathed at his hip.  He shook his head slowly, and stepped in front of the woman.

"They will be coming soon, My Queen," he said.  "And we both know the danger they present to us."  He faced his queen, his normally confident shell betrayed only by his slightly upturned brow. 

The woman simply looked at him, her eyes seductive.  The corners of her lips curled up ever so slightly as she replied, "Calm yourself, Solon.  There's no way they can fight what I have become.  These powers," she looked at her hands, clenching them as they gave off a yellow aura, "these powers will be more than a match for those children."

Solon spread his hands and emphasized, "We dare not underestimate SeeD, my dear Nefalia.  Ultimecia herself did so, and you know what became of her."

Nefalia stood and approached her knight.  She placed her hands on his cheeks and kissed him tenderly.  "Yes, my love, I should know that as well as you.  But where she failed, we will succeed.  Don't forget that we now have the knowledge of SeeD, how it works, and most importantly, how its _Commander_ works."  She pointed to his temple with a finger, her razor-sharp talon touching his skin gently.  "Besides, many of our people wanted to take this action against those imperialists even before I rose to power.  I will simply 'give in' to their desires.  And in doing so, SeeD will be distracted from invading us, and waste their resources defending themselves."

Solon took her hand and squeezed it in his own, being careful to avoid her sharp nails.  "Yes, My Queen, I understand."

Nefalia broke contact with her knight and sat back down in her throne.  She waved her hand against the far wall.  Instantly, it changed from a solid stone wall to an image of a half dozen Esthar military officers examining a computer-generated holographic map.

"General Marchand," said Nefalia, her smooth voice suddenly stern and commanding, "Is the strike force ready?"

The generals all stopped their planning and saluted her.  "Yes, Your Highness," said the shortest man, standing in the middle of the image.  "The Conquest squadron and Peacekeeper fleet are loaded and waiting your order.  Our sea and air forces will strike simultaneously, completely overpowering their defenses.  Which target have you chosen?"

"Deling City," said Nefalia.  "They should still be reeling from their government's internal power struggle.  We shall strike at the heart of the beast and force them to release all that they have taken by force.  If they resist my order, we will crush them."

The generals saluted again.  "Yes, Your Highness.  I promise that Galbadia shall surrender to our superior military and technological might."

"My knight will command your forces," said Nefalia.  "He will also extend my message to the people of Galbadia.  Prepare to launch shortly."

Nefalia waved her hand at the image, causing it to disappear.  She stood again, and approached Solon.  "Our soldiers are capable, but will likely fall easily to any SeeD intruders that will surely be there.  But not one of them, nor all of them combined, can stand against you now.  Go and spread my will.  When Galbadia falls, the world will listen."

She blew Solon a kiss, and then leaned back into her seat.  Solon bowed, saying, "Yes, My Queen."  He then did an about-face and walked toward the oak door in the far wall.  However, instead of opening it, he walked _through_ it, as if it were water.  When he had completely passed through it, the door solidified again.

Nefalia sat back in her throne.  "Now, my friends, I dare you to interfere."

*

"All right," said Quistis, confronting their guests.  "Just what the hell are _you_ doing here?"

Seifer smugly crossed his arms and smirked at her.  "Nice to see you too, _Commander_.  Funny how getting fired as an Instructor can get you places in this world."

"Seifer, we don't have time for games," said Quistis.  "Right now…"

"Yes, yes, I know," said Seifer.  "You have a new Sorceress that appeared out of nowhere in Esthar, and nearly killed you throwing you out of the country.  Fortunately, the three of us didn't get noticed enough to have that pleasure."

Laguna stepped forward.  He calmly asked, "You were there?  Can you tell us what happened?  Is there a civil war going on?"

"HYPNOTIZED," said Fujin.

"Yeah, most of the people were like, 'We must do what the Sorceress tells us,' ya know?" said Raijin.  "It's like she got control of the police and the military the first day, and started rounding up anyone that didn't agree with her.  We barely made it out alive, ya know?"

Seifer continued the explanation.  "Many of the former government officials publicly denounced her and immediately gathered resistance groups together.  The groups were formed pretty hastily, and tried to fight the military with not much more than their wits.  But they were badly outgunned, and the fighting only lasted a day.  Anyone that survived went into hiding.  We helped the largest group, who was headed by the President's Cabinet.  But the most that ended up happening was some of the buildings getting destroyed and a lot of people killed.  We got out of there over the old railroad bridge before they could catch us."

Laguna's eyes went wide.  He could scarcely believe it.  In one day, his country had been taken from him, and he hadn't even been there to fight.  He sat down in a nearby chair and rubbed his temples, trying to decide what he could do.

Quistis approached Seifer.  "You were Ultimecia's knight."  Seifer flinched at the reminder.  "Do you know anything about who this sorceress is, or what she wants?"

Seifer shook his head.  "She never appeared in public, even when she was making speeches to the people.  She showed up as a hologram, but even then she had on a lot of robes and a face mask, so we couldn't see who she was.  Or if that was even the Sorceress."

Selphie ran up to him.  "You have to know more than that!  She captured Squall and Rinny!  Who knows what she's doing to them!"

"The Sorceress captured Rinoa?" asked Seifer.  "Maybe…maybe she wanted Rinoa for her powers.  If that Nefalia wasn't a Sorceress to begin with, she might be absorbing Rinoa's power somehow.  Unless she killed Rinoa, and just took her powers that way."

Quistis stared at him for a second.  _Of course.  It makes perfect sense._  "She left those fake bodies in the Excalibur wreckage so we'd think they were dead, but she captured them and…and executed them, on her own turf."

All SeeDs in the room turned their heads down.  At that moment, as they heard Quistis' words, they lost any hope they'd gained for finding their friends alive.

"But they didn't count on Edea's powers returning, and her being able to sense that the body we found wasn't Rinoa's.  Can we use this knowledge against them?" asked Irvine.

"Hah, doubt it," said Seifer, before Quistis could answer.  "All she ever said in her speeches was something about 'freeing the world from tyranny".  Sounded like the same old 'take over the world' bullshit, though.  And it looks like she has enough power to do it."

"So what do we do?" asked Selphie. 

Before anyone could answer, an emergency alert came through the room speakers.  "_We have an urgent call from Galbadia Garden, Commander_," came the voice of the communications chief.  "_Their radar has detected a squadron of airships heading toward Galbadia.  They say that the point of origin appears to be Esthar.  They're begging for our help."_

All eyes turned to Laguna.  He covered his mouth for a second, then said, "If this sorceress managed to take control of the populace like that, there's no reason why she couldn't take over the entire military.  She could be manipulating them that deeply, just like Adel did."

"But why Galbadia?" asked Irvine, clearly worried about his adopted home.

Laguna sighed.  "Some of our people wanted to invade Galbadia to stop its aggression, because they felt that we would be their next target.  Our military was built up for that purpose, but I refused to use it against Galbadia unless we were provoked."

Assorted groans and sighs emitted from everyone in the room.  They knew that this would become an all-out war.

"Well, it looks like the Sorceress got ready to do the provoking," said Seifer.

Quistis turned to Seifer.  "The three of you got out of Esthar.  Think you can get back in?"

Seifer gave her a cocky grin.  "So you need our help, huh?  Sure, we can get back in.  For the right price."

Quistis sighed and shook her head.  "Name your price."

"Vindication," replied Seifer.  "Our names have been dragged through the mud for the past two years.  I want us hailed as heroes after this."

"Fine," replied Quistis.  "Get into Esthar and help our invasion when it comes, and your names will all be cleared.

Raijin shot his fist into the air and cheered.  Fujin turned around and kicked him in the shin, causing him to cut his celebration short.

Quistis rolled her eyes.  "You'll be accompanied by two of our best SeeDs.  We need our own people inside Esthar to assist us once we invade," she turned to Laguna, "which will be unavoidable, I'm afraid."

Laguna stood up from his seat.  "I'm going, with you, Seifer," he said.

Cid looked at him.  "Mister President, you have to remain safe, somewhere outside Esthar.  When the Sorceress is defeated, your people will need you to return and take control again, to prevent anarchy.  If you get killed during this war, who knows what will happen?"

"My duty is to protect my people," said Laguna, straightening up.  "I failed them once.  I won't do it again!"  He swiped his hand in the air, to emphasize his point.  "I'm going, and I'll gather together everyone that's resisting the Sorceress there.  If SeeD is going to invade our country to save it, then we're going to help."

Quistis approached him, speaking in hushed, grim tones.  "We can't stop you, Mister President, but we advise against your going.  Once you leave, we won't be able to help you.  We have to defend our brothers and sisters in Galbadia first.  Hopefully, we'll be lucky enough to weaken your country's military there and make it easier for you to get control back from the Sorceress."

"I understand," said Laguna.  Then, to Seifer, "Kiros, Ward and I will accompany you there.  If you can get us into Esthar City and joined with the resistance groups, then we can do everything in our power to topple the Sorceress.  If you do that, I'll make sure your names are cleared in Esthar."  He handed Quistis a small piece of paper.  "Commander, here's where you can find enough gil to fund your invasion of Esthar.  Take as much as you need, or all of it, if necessary.  I don't care how much.  The only thing that's important is getting my country back."

Quistis nodded.  She took the paper, shook hands with the Esthar president and said, "Good luck, sir."

Laguna nodded, and he, Ward, and Kiros left the War room.  When they were gone, Seifer said, "Wait, don't _we_ get a say in this?  We can't baby-sit those middle-aged men!"

"DISTRACTION," said Fujin.

"Look, Seifer," said Quistis.  "Those 'middle-aged men' will probably be what stands between you and execution in Esthar, even if you _do_ help us free it.  Don't forget that you're still wanted all over the world for assisting Ultimecia.  But, if you can help them overthrow this sorceress, you'll get the vindication you want so badly."

Seifer went silent.  He crossed his arms and thought for a minute.

"Vindication, ya know?  We could go out in public without having to worry about someone recognizing us, ya know?" said Raijin.

"FREEDOM," said Fujin, placing her hand on Sefier's shoulder.

"All right, all right," said Seifer.  "We'll baby-sit the old men.  But you'd better mean what you said about us gaining our freedom."  With that, he turned and left the War Room, his posse close behind.

"All right," said Quistis.  "Selphie, send an encrypted message to G-Garden that we're on our way.  Inform T-Garden of what's going on, and to prepare to defend themselves if necessary.  Then, I want you to get two of our best SeeDs and send them with Seifer and Laguna.  Make sure they dress for undercover work."

"Right," said Selphie, rushing out of the room.

"Zell, oversee the evacuation of all underclassmen and non-essential personnel to Balamb.  Report back to me when they've cleared."

"Got it!  We're gonna make that Sorceress bitch pay for what she did to Squall and Rinny!"

"I'll help you," said Cid.  "I had better stay with the evacuees, because I will just get in the way when Garden goes into combat."  He and Zell headed out of the War Room.

Quistis nodded.  She knew Cid wasn't a combatant, and it would greatly help the morale of the troops to know that their headmaster, to whom they owed everything, was safe.

"Irvine and Xu, I want you to ready Garden's defensive and assault weapons.  His will be our first time using them, so I want to make sure they'll work."  

"Got it," said Irvine and Xu simultaneously.  They left the War Room.

Now only Quistis and Nida were left.  "Nida, I want you to pilot Garden, as always.  I will be disembarking with our offensive troops when we engage Esthar.  If something happens to me, and it doesn't look like we can win, I want you to inform all Garden troops to withdraw, and get them and the Gardens clear of the fighting.  Understood?"

Nida nodded.  "Yes, ma'am."

"Good.  Prepare to launch."

Nida saluted Quistis, and left the War Room without another word.  Quistis leaned on the map table and shut her eyes.  _I hope this works.  I hope I can make you proud of me, Squall._


End file.
